Friday, March 17, 2006

Barber Shop 6 - tension builds and Don Martin!

I'm a little worn out from some of my own tension today. If only I had someone to shave me and calm me down.

I'm using some ideas I got from Don Martin to give a sense of timing to the Barber pages way below.That's a hard thing to do in comics since there is no animation.See how Don Martin does his thing.If you don't know who Don Martin is, he's Mad Magazine's "Maddest Artist" and a brilliant innovator to boot. Grab the old 60s paperback books he did and study his pacing and staging!

In Surgery 1In Surgery 2In Surgery 3In Surgery 4In Surgery 5Note the use of punctuation in the panel continuity. Instead of just using each panel for each gag, I use some pantomime panels to create pauses before the punch lines-like stand up comics use. I got this from Don Martin and animated cartoons too.

In this last page, the punctuation panels are gone which speeds up the actions as they get madder and madder.

OK, here’s a theory:Most comics before Don Martin broke up their story into panels and used each panel to tell the important plot points in succession.

When I was a kid, I noticed that Don Martin’s comics told their story with a sense of timing. He broke up his actions into the important bits-in smaller increments than most comics and it made you feel like they were happening in real time.Don Martin’s comics are like animation. They have rhythm-and I think I absorbed that into my storyboarding technique and then in my own comics.

best i've been able to find is some older science fiction comics, "Lulu" and "I am Dr.Sitter". random stuff, but unfortunately nothing pooled together on a website.

when i was researching some rigging tech i wanted to incorporate a while back, i really leaned towards don's stuff for getting real nice, bendy type of functionality. olive oyle stuff was good for that too.

anyway, here recently i found a blog that features some pages of don's science fiction stuff:datajunkie

So John, wich Daffy was better? Clampet or Jones? I personally loved Clampet's insane Daffy much better than the greedy jerk Jones turned him into. I mean he would bounce all over the screen. There was that one where, I think it was Porky trying to put him in a freezer and then cook him for dinner because he couldn't freeze him. Daffy just went apeshit the whole picture, it was fantastic. When Jones took over he even lost his trademard hoo-hoo. I was also curious about how you felt about Danny Antonucci's animation? His creepy brothers grunt was pretty cool but short lived. Plus his famous Lupo the Butcher short. His currrent show Ed Edd and Eddy is also very well done in traditional animation. I think it was just after the forth season of that they had to switch to computer cel painting instead of traditional cel painting, which is a dying art. I know your Mr. glass half empty so you'll prolly hate it but I was just curious to see what your thoughts on him were. Well I love the blog man keep it up. Hopefully one day i'll get to meet you and get yelled at by you for my art. SincerelyKyle aka Scout

Well Jones had a few versions of Daffy. In Pest in the House, he's somewhat like the Clampett looney Daffy, except a bit mean, but still really funny.

I don't like that Chuck and Friz changed Daffy's personality to make him mean and greedy, but Jones did some great cartoons with him that way. I love the animation, acting and layouts in "Rabbit Seasoning".

The Clampett Daffy to me is the epitome of what makes Looney Tunes loony.Have you seen Henpecked Duck? There's a really crazy exploration of his character.

Friz told me in an interview that he always hated Daffy Duck. "That bird was too craaaaazy!How long could that last?"

Hocus pocus flippity flam, razamataz and alakazam. I love Clampett's B&W Daffy cartoons, and I love Daffy having a wife! Another really great one is Wise Quacks, because Clampett didn't have any preconcieved notions of cute. They draw the baby duck in that cartoon with spiny pinfeathers like a real baby bird has!

John,assuming you like our music, how much would you charge for doing my band's cover art or a t-shirt design? Heck, our bands should play a show together sometime. Email me if you're interested: Gardenback@cs.com

in the "Draftee Daffy" commentary you and Eddie briefly mention that there's a story about Bob Clampett getting in some sort of trouble (??) with the first MAD magazine issue. you guys were laughing pretty hard about it! what happened??

In the photo, you're showing National Gorilla Suit Day! When I was a kid, I actually wet my pants from laughing myself silly when I read that for the first time!!! Don Martin knew how to set up and write gags; his stories are full of sound effects and screamingly original and funny. I recommend his first four paperbacks (Don Martin Steps Out, Don Martin Bounces Back, Don Martin Drops 13 Stories and The Mad Adventures Of Captain Klutz) not only because they are screamingly funny, but because they are so instructive in storytelling and gagwriting for both comic strips and storyboarding. One can surmise that he loved slapstick, vaudeville, silent films from Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton and also shorts by Three Stooges and Laurel and Hardy. You have to include these four paperbacks with the Preston Blair books or you're not fully doing your job ;0)

I love the momentum of George Liquor working off of someone as "american" as him. The life of the comic really lives panel to panel too. I don't think I've seen any comic books do such timing. Though their style lends to cinematic - leaving inventions like small consecutive panels giving the impression of slow motion - but nothing really precise in timing. Which is a shame for fight scenes and momentum of story. It's usuaslly quite boring and iconicly photographed, rather than alive and moving. With these George Liquor pages, I could slowly flip a book of them and read the timing. Really insightful stuff.

Speaking of flipping - where can I give you money for these pages? I haven't noticed them in any comic shop if there.

John, I'd still like to set up a lecture with you, if possible. It'll be through the local college. Shoot me an e-mail.citizendrummond@hotmail.com

I'd love to see a blog with your thoughts on cartoon music. It's through you I discovered the glory that is Raymond Scott. I'd also like to know where you got a few more of the more lounge-y tunes, like when Ren & Stimpty walk into the final house in Rubber Nipple Salesmen. These Martin cartoons are fantastic. Now I know who made me laugh so much.

John, I was wondering if you had any thoughts on early Japanese comics, like stuff by by Osamu Tezuka, stuff like astro boy. His comics include many panels to help set up mood, show action, motion, etc. Tezuka uses a ton of panels to tell some simple stories. His major art influence was Disney and you can see it in his character designs. If interested I can try and scan some of his stuff.

Also, that link up top (I hope it works) takes you to a comic up on my blog I did just for fun about two years ago. It involves Speedy Gonzales and a classmate of mine in a kung fu gi.Feel free to post any comments positive or scathing on my blog. (It could use the traffic).

I like your idea of using the panels spacing to get a sense of pacing in the strip. I remember Bill Watterson saying somthing similar like "space is time." He'd make a long horizontal panel and put the character and the punch line in the last third of the space.

The best Don Martin book to get is "Don Martin bounces back" (the second one). It features national gorilla suit day, his funniest story, and swan lake, an excellent pantomime example of pacing. The others are great, too, but try for the earlier ones.

Thanks for the Don Martin stuff, John! I still have those old MAD paperbacks from when I was a kid. Don Martin was a genius. The whole Fester Bestertester and Captain Klutz episodes were brilliant. You don't really see that kind of off-the-wall warped stuff done in Martin's way. And you're right: he had a sense of timing that was totally unique and totally hilarious.

I think part of that shows one of the differences between comics and animated cartoons-

One is static imagery, and the other is moving. So to create movement/time progressions in comics requires a different visual vocabulary.

Maybe there's some overlap in using key moments as panels. Comic book artists have always tried different methods for indicating movement. Some use "speedlines," but others play with the panels themselves.

Will Eisner did a lot of this, breaking a longer movement into a series of smaller panels arranged in a particular way. Bernie Krigstein and later, Jim Steranko, took Eisner's theories and elaborated on them, creating the illusion of pans and zooms by breaking the page up into smaller panels.

Weirdly, this stretches the time it takes to read the page, but compresses the time contained within the story. Speeding up the scene, like towards the end of the barbershop pages.

Japanese manga artists have hundreds of methods of doing this, plus creating mood. They go beyond what past and current American stylists do as far as creating movement in a static composition.

One thing I really like are the anticipatory panels- the trimmer is poised in one panel, then inside the nose or ear in the next. It creates anticipation and forward thrust. Don't they do that in animation sometimes, like when the arm moves back before moving forward and completing some task?

The only example I can readily think of is Marge Simpson's hand when she honks the horn during the opening credit animation on "The Simpsons." It goes up, pauses, then honks the horn.

Anyway, cool stuff again! I love Don Martin. My best friend used to copy Don Martin figures whenever we drew together. All his figures from then on were based on Martinian anatomy!

One thing I really like are the anticipatory panels- the trimmer is poised in one panel, then inside the nose or ear in the next. It creates anticipation and forward thrust. Don't they do that in animation sometimes, like when the arm moves back before moving forward and completing some task?

Joel,

The Preston Blair book you just bought addresses anticipation (albeit all too briefly) on the The Cartoon "Take" page, and then on the last or maybe second-to-last page, in the summary bullet points section.

John K.,

The "Stimpy's Invention" storyboards are the best thing yet. I recall your comment on the DVD about how the part where the Happy Helmet clamps onto Ren and forces him to smile was so amazingly animated, and now that I see the storyboards, it really IS amazing--that's some serious in-betweening! I hadn't seen "Stimpy's Invention" in years, but I recognized every frame on the storyboard immediately. What fun! Can you post more?

Hey John. What do you think of Harvey Kurtzman? I think he's a terrific artist. I remember you once said that you liked Basil Wolverton and his crazy illustrations. I was wondering what other artists do you have an appreciation for. Did you like 60s/70s underground comic book artists like Bob Crumb and S. Clay Wilson. Just wondering.

Hey, John, I really enjoyed the link to the Stimpy's Invention storyboards. I have a question about Ren. How come after a few episodes, the animators stopped drawing Ren's tail? Was it to cut corners, or was it something you approved of?

Man loved those Don Martin`s Books i have the Don Martins Cooks More tales is fantastic i also have those Mad Magazines from the sixties from my dad y have like 7 boxes of it wiht plastic wrap and all their like a tresure that my dad give those 2 me kinda like a generational gift so cool, when i was a kid i would draw don martins stuff so cool

Thank you for posting this stuff. This is invaluable stuff for Story Artists! I had the good fortune of taking Eddie Fitzgerald's cartooning class at CalArts back in 1990, and he made us do an entire assignment in Don Martin's style, studying his posing, staging, timing, etc. It's wierd that you posted this stuff today because just yesterday I was talking about this very thing with the great Dave Feiss. We even talked about Eddie. Syncronicity?

Duck Dodgers:OK no offense meant, it just seemed like you made multiple postings in the last couple of threads re: John posting on your blog, maybe it was just a glitch causing the multi-posts.Jitterbug: you're right, not my business, I shouldn't post in the AM.Sorry all.Chris

Oh, and PS:John, this blog is a fantastic resource for those who are interested in becoming cartoonists, animators, artists, filmakers, etc. To have someone with your critical facilities and perception pointing out the good, the bad and the resources for finding them is a true boon to creators everywhere. Please keep it up.Chris

My dad introduced me to MAD paperbacks when I was a wee one. Some were his from when he was younger, and some were from his daily trips to used book stores and libraries. (Many of the used bookstore paperbacks had the clothes erased off of the women and pubic hair and nipples drawn in!) I enjoyed most all of what he brought me but I really went nuts for the Don Martin stuff. My dad did too and some of my fondest memories of growing up are of my dad and I acting out Don Martin gags (whenever my dad tripped or fumbled something he'd go, "POIT!", mimicking a Martin sound effect.The final punchline? When my dad died he was buried next to a gentleman named "DON MARTIN"I have to chuckle everytime I visit him ;)Sorry to go off on a tangent.

I'm no fan of the drama the tends to follow John around the internet (I'm sure he isn't either), but the insight, tips and artwork offered in this blog are great.

Jorge, maybe it would be better to strip off all inbetweening and keep just the key poses held for the right time each. Maybe I'll try to do one of those, I suppose that way would also allow a better resolution in the end.

Friz told me in an interview that he always hated Daffy Duck. "That bird was too craaaaazy!How long could that last?"

Actually, I'm more distressed by what Friz did to Tweety. When Friz first took charge of the Tweety character after Clampett had left/been fired, Tweety at least still had some of his spunk. Also, more importantly, he could still of Sylvester on his own, or in the case of Putty Tat Twouble (c. 1951) Sylvester and another cat on his own. He only ran Sylvester into the path of a bulldog once in a while (similar to how he did in Clampett's toons Birdy and the Beast (c. 1944) and Gruesome Twosome (c. 1945)). But, gradually under Friz' guidance Tweety lost this edge. The biggest evidence can be seen in Tweet and Sour (c. 1956). When Sylvester grabs Tweety out of his cage, he HAS to scream for help. He would have been eaten and processed through Sylvester's digestive system if it hadn't been for Granny. In fact, soon after that cartoon, Tweety would usually just sit back and let either a bulldog, Granny, or some assorted ferocious animals do all the work (Tweet Zoo (c. 1957) anyone?)

I could go on but I've used up enough blog space as it is. Actually, I wrote several little essays about WB characters on the a few years ago. Click thta link and read them there if you like.

Don Martin and Harvey Kurtzman are great. Two other of my favourite oldschool MAD artists are Bill Elder and Jack Davis. It's sad to see how much the quality of MAD Magazine has decreased since the passing of these talented artists/writers, and especially its founder, William M. Gaines. He always sought out the best in the field and battled with other things like no ad pages to ensure readers the best humour mag around.

Now there are tons of ads in it and the art/storytelling is subpar. I've not read it in years. Fortunately I do have at least a few old copies from the 60s, 70s, one from 1957 and some of the "volumes". There was a used bookstore in town that had tons of them and I'd get them real cheap there. Sadly it is no more so now I have to dig around at the Half Price bookstore.

Cool picture of you with Sergio Aragones, Vanoni! Sergio's a hero. He's one of the people I'd like to meet.

I got to phone interview Jack Davis for an art class once. Jack Davis and Will Elder are a couple of my Mad faves. But Jack Davis was incredibly nice and patient with my stupid questions, just a very positive person.

After talking to him I had the best feeling for about a day and a half.

I scanned a couple of my favorites. (Though hundreds could fall into that category!)I intended to do more - but scanning, eliminating yellowing, cracks and waterspots, and sizing are a lot of work! Enjoy these while I recuperate!

Sergio Aragones does this quickdraw thing at Comicon every year... (i think it's hosted by Mark Evanier) where he and others do super fast improv cartooning, based on audience suggestions... last year they had Kyle Baker (super cool dude) and i think Mike Allred(not so good)...

Man i'd love to see john k up there with Sergio.. would you consider taking part in the activities, john?

I'm your Biggest FAN and I would like to know where to send you fan mail.I have a letter and some drawings that I have been trying to send you. I got the addresses out of the magizine Wild Cartoon Kingdom from 1993 and they keep being sent back to me. It would be great if you can give me an address. I'm also working on my own cartoon short and I would love for you to see it.P.S. What is your fav MGM cartoon by Tex Avery?Thanks,Jesse